By Chad Kennedy

Part I of this series explored the important role inclusive playgrounds play in supporting childhood development and extending learning beyond the classroom. Unlike conventional playgrounds, which often emphasize physical activity, inclusive play spaces incorporate sensory-friendly features, flexible play opportunities and nature-based elements that encourage social interaction, creativity, emotional regulation and engagement among children of all abilities.

While these environments offer significant educational and developmental benefits, barriers related to funding, maintenance and traditional perceptions of play continue to limit their adoption.

Despite the overwhelming benefits of inclusive playgrounds, several challenges prevent widespread schoolyard adoption. Part II examines these challenges and outlines practical strategies for schools seeking to create more inclusive outdoor learning environments.

The Misconception that Playgrounds Are Not Educational

Many school administrators and policymakers still understandably perceive playgrounds as spaces for unstructured activity rather than integral learning components. This belief leads to underinvestment in outdoor play areas.

While attending the 2025 National Conference on Play at Indiana State University, I heard countless educators express that they are not included in the design process of the playgrounds that they are expected to utilize. Similarly, on a recent call with a large school district in the South, a Facility Manager told me that several families of students with disabilities were dissatisfied with a recent playground installation project that didn’t include them and were very vocal about its lack of inclusive features, resulting in the need for experts to get involved post-construction.

School facility and management teams can embrace the research supporting play-based learning that their own education staff and experts in the field are familiar with and include their students and families in the process.

This does mean that the planning of projects might take a little more time and effort, but it provides real-world input from students and families on their developing problem-solving skills, creativity, and social resilience. This process can shift perspectives and create positive progress. Also, if education teams can demonstrate and present the positive impact of outdoor learning spaces on student engagement and mental well-being to decision makers, they can help integrate playgrounds into school planning discussions.

Lack of Funding and Maintenance Concerns

Budget constraints often prevent schools from prioritizing inclusive outdoor spaces. Administrators may see these projects as expensive, and ongoing maintenance can be a deterrent. Many facility managers also prefer to have all playgrounds throughout their districts match, requiring less pieces to be held on hand for repairs.

Cost-effective strategies such as using modular play elements, leveraging community partnerships and incorporating green infrastructure can make inclusive playgrounds more feasible. Schools can collaborate with local businesses, nonprofits and parent advocacy groups to secure funding. Additionally, thoughtful design incorporating natural elements — such as shade trees and sensory gardens — can reduce long-term maintenance costs compared to traditional asphalt and plastic play structures.

Educators also need to work together with facility teams to recognize that not all children are the same, and not every school or neighborhood has the same needs.Ìý There needs to be some diversity in play spaces in order to match the diversity in the school’s demographics.

The One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Playground Design

Many school playgrounds are designed without considering students’ diverse needs. As a result, children who require different forms of play, particularly those with disabilities and sensory sensitivities, are often left out.

Schools can embrace varied play experiences, incorporating tactile pathways, adjustable height equipment, and quiet zones. Providing multiple types of play — such as active play areas, nature exploration and sensory-based spaces — ensures that all children can engage meaningfully in a way that matches the way they play.

A few years ago, a misguided educator told me that they only wanted active play features for their playground because they don’t allow children to be idle during recess. They wanted the children to work out their wiggles. What she failed to recognize is that for some children, the exertion of that energy during recess only works them up to an imbalanced state, when what they really needed was a break from all the social noise and chaos around them. Those children need smaller quite spaces and exploratory play that engages them in a different way. Diversity in the play environment will help meet the various needs of the children.

Resistance to Change

Institutional inertia often slows progress in adopting inclusive design. Decision-makers may resist altering existing playgrounds due to political concerns or a lack of awareness.

There are great project and curriculum examples all over the U.S. that teams can highlight to build support for broader implementation. Additionally, the flexibility of school-managed playgrounds allows for gradual improvements and iterative design based on ongoing observation and feedback from students and educators.

The Urgency of Inclusive Playgrounds

The need for inclusive playgrounds has never been more pressing. The push for justice in education continues to gain traction, and parents are increasingly aware that they have choices in their children’s educational environments. Inclusive playgrounds directly respond to the need for greater accessibility and inclusivity in schools, ensuring that all children can learn and thrive together.

Furthermore, playground design should consider children’s evolving experiences. What engages a kindergartener will differ from what excites a sixth grader, emphasizing the need for layered, exploratory spaces that allow children to engage at different levels as they grow. Observing and refining their outdoor spaces will help them remain relevant, engaging and beneficial.

The lingering impact of COVID-19 also underscores the importance of trauma-informed design. Many children continue to experience anxiety and social disengagement because of the pandemic. Inclusive playgrounds can serve as spaces for re-establishing trust, fostering positive interactions, and supporting emotional resilience. Thoughtful design elements — such as observation points where children can feel safe while gradually engaging with peers — help ease social reintegration.

The future of education can extend beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. Inclusive playgrounds offer more than recreation; they are dynamic learning environments that support cognitive, social and emotional development. Schools that prioritize these spaces will foster deeper engagement, encourage positive socialization and promote student well-being. By integrating inclusive play into the educational framework and even into curriculum schools can create spaces where all children can explore, play and learn — on their terms, in a way that suits their unique needs.

Chad Kennedy, FASLA, CPSI, is a Director, Landscape Architecture with Westwood.

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By Chad Kennedy

Playgrounds have long been considered spaces for recreation, a place for children to expend energy between structured lessons. Yet, for all children, but in particular those with disabilities and sensory sensitivities, they represent something much more profound — an environment where social, cognitive and emotional development unfolds through play. Despite the potential benefits playgrounds have for childhood development, many decisionmakers still understandably perceive playgrounds as secondary to traditional classroom learning. This perspective, however, overlooks critical contributions that inclusive playgrounds can offer in childhood education and overall well-being.

Inclusive playgrounds are intentionally designed to include all children in play, providing diverse opportunities for exploration and learning in a safe, engaging environment. They help students develop social interaction skill sets, manage sensory input experiences and build emotional resilience — all essential to their educational success. As awareness of justice and sustainability in education grows, schools can aim to recognize and embrace these outdoor spaces as vital extensions of the learning environment.

To truly understand the significance of inclusive playgrounds, we must first examine the deep connection between play and learning — an essential relationship that extends far beyond the classroom walls.

The Educational Value of Playgrounds

Play is a fundamental part of childhood development. Through play, children learn to interact with the world, navigate social dynamics, and process sensory input. These skills cannot be mastered at a desk alone. Play spaces are critical for learning self-regulation and developing social skills in a low-pressure environment. Children with disabilities benefit greatly as they learn and practice these skills alongside their peers.

In an inclusive playground, students learn problem-solving, teamwork and conflict resolution in real-time. Sensory-friendly elements allow children to explore different inputs, helping them understand and manage their own personal sensory thresholds. Teachers can leverage playground time to extend their curriculum, using outdoor environments to teach concepts such as spatial awareness, cooperation and even science and physics through nature-based play elements like water tables, loose play parts and gardens.

Additionally, outdoor spaces provide sensory input that reinforces classroom lessons. Whether it’s a playground near a library that integrates story time into play or an outdoor stage for interactive learning, these spaces create experiential learning opportunities beyond scholastic exercises. Well-designed playgrounds immerse students in play-based, non-prescribed learning by recognizing that children have differing learning styles and diverse engagement methods.

While the benefits of play-based learning are clear, not all playgrounds are created equal. Traditional playgrounds often fall short of providing meaningful engagement for all children, which raises an important question: What makes a playground genuinely inclusive?

The Difference Between Conventional and Inclusive Playgrounds

Most traditional playgrounds focus on gross motor skills (running, climbing and jumping), often offering limited options for those with sensory sensitivities or mobility challenges. Conventional spaces regularly lack the flexibility to engage children with varying needs, creating unintentional barriers to play. The one-size-fits-all approach — installing standard slides, swings and jungle gyms — excludes large numbers of children with differing abilities.

On the other hand, inclusive playgrounds prioritize diversity in play by incorporating features that support all children regardless of ability. Thoughtful design choices, such as cozy retreat spaces, allow children to self-regulate when overwhelmed. These spaces provide a vantage point where children can observe the playground and engage, on their terms. Without them, children who experience sensory overload often withdraw to unsafe locations, such as under jungle gyms, behind structures or even outside the play space where they might be injured or get lost.

Loose-parts play — incorporating blocks, sticks, balls, natural plant parts and other movable components — supports creativity and sensory exploration, avoiding static features and encouraging dynamic play environments. Water and sand play areas allow children to manipulate materials and learn cause-and-effect relationships while engaging their senses. Meanwhile, incorporating nature-based/green landscape features instead of blacktop reduces heat and enhances the connection to nature, making the playground more inviting.

Schools also have advantages over public parks when implementing inclusive play spaces. Unlike public parks, schools are managed environments with constant oversight, allowing for the integration of docents/teachers/assistants who can monitor play. PTAs and school organizations serve as built-in support systems that can advocate for funding and facilitate long-term playground maintenance. Oversight also opens up the use of a wider range of loose play items that can be used more frequently and maintained in functioning order. With larger play spaces than many public parks, schools have room to design playgrounds that offer multiple experiences, from physical challenges to sensory engagement, to passive play.

Despite clear advantages of inclusive playgrounds, their adoption into school systems remains uneven. Several challenges — from funding limitations and maintenance preferences to outdated perceptions of play — hinder their widespread implementation. Part II of this article will explore some of those challenges, and outline effective strategies for successful adoption of inclusive playgrounds.

Chad Kennedy, FASLA, CPSI, is a Director, Landscape Architecture with Westwood.

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ByÌýValerie Peterson, AIA, LEED AP, and Alison Andrews, AIAÌý

Ìýhave sparked debate about how students with disabilities are supported in schools. As the Department of Health and Human Services takes oversight of special education and the Department of Justice assumes school civil rights enforcement, some advocates worry special education could shift from supporting how students learn to managing students’ disabilities separately.Ìý

This raises an important question for school district leaders: How do buildings make students with disabilities feel like they belong?Ìý

Regardless of how policy evolves, districts control how students experience support. Design determines whether special education programming is connected to peer groups or pulled out to spaces that isolate students from their school community. Over decades of experience designing special education space, Wold Architects & Engineers has learned to prioritize belonging, then layer in spaces, equipment, and safeguards students need to participate in an equitable school experience.Ìý

Integrate Special EducationÌýIntoÌýSchool LifeÌý

Special education classrooms, especially in aging schools, are often isolated from the rest of the building or too small to support students and staff, reinforcing separation, even when the district’s goal is inclusion.Ìý

Planning should begin with the fullÌýstudent day: where students start and end, how they move through the building and what they need to receive instruction and intervention. When specialized support connects to the rhythm of the school, transitions become easier physically and emotionally. Students with disabilities have better access to general education activities, fewerÌýdisruptionsÌýand more natural peer interaction. TheirÌýpeersÌýbenefit, too. Familiarity builds acceptance, helping reduceÌýthe isolationÌýand misunderstanding that can contribute to bullying.ÌýÌý

Make Support Accessible Without Singling Students OutÌý

Inclusion does not mean every student needs the same space or schedule. Some students need calming rooms, toileting support, therapy spaces, small-groupÌýareasÌýor controlled sensory environments.ÌýÌý

The key is making support accessible without making students feel removed from the school community.ÌýSpecialized classrooms should be locatedÌýnearÌý sharedÌýlearning areas when appropriate. Small-group and sensory spaces should be easy to reach without requiring students to travel long, highly visible routes that feel isolating. Wayfinding should make resources clear and approachable, notÌýhiddenÌýor confusing.Ìý

Available resources also serve students beyond those receiving special education support. Small-group rooms, calming spaces and flexible furniture are shown to support focus,ÌýregulationÌýand learning for all.Ìý

Help Staff Help StudentsÌý

Special education spaces affect how students regulate, communicate, receiveÌýcareÌýandÌýparticipate. Calming rooms, small-group rooms, flexible furniture, adjustable lighting, acoustic control, durable finishes, accessible toileting rooms, changing tables, lifts and care areas are easy to treat as technical requirements. But students and staff experience these details every day.Ìý

A restroom too small forÌýassistanceÌýcan compromise dignity. A sensory room too far from the classroom can incite dysregulation and delay relief. Poor acoustics can complicate focused instruction. An undersized room can force staff toÌýimprovise aroundÌýequipment.Ìý

These features support students’ comfort, safety and independence while giving teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers spaces that match their daily routines. That is why special education staff should be part of planning conversations early: they understand where the day breaks down and which small design decisions make support more effective.Ìý

How Existing Buildings Work Harder for Today’s NeedsÌý

Many districts are supporting today’s special education needs inside buildings designed decades ago, based on outdated expectations for inclusion and accessibility. Renovation is an opportunity to ask if a building can support how services are delivered now.Ìý

Capacity counts do not answer that question. Wold Architects & Engineers has seen many Districts experiencing a decline in overall enrollment while the number of students in special education programming more than doubles. With special education classrooms typically requiring a smaller student-to-staff ratio, specialized equipment and access to support spaces, the classrooms no longer utilized for general education may not accommodate the shift in building programming.Ìý

For example, a former general education classroom may need different adjacencies, privacy, breakout space, storage, acousticÌýcontrolÌýor access to nearby care and therapy areas to function well. Without those considerations, renovation may add space while leaving the core service challenges unresolved.ÌýÌý

Facilities teams should evaluate the number of students a building serves and what support spaces they need. That lens can help districts prioritize the most meaningful interventions, especially when budgets do not allow for replacement or major additions.ÌýÌý

DesignÌýAroundÌýBelongingÌý

Districts do not need to wait for policy clarity to make better decisions inside their buildings.ÌýThey can bring special education teams into planning discussions early, map the student day before assigning rooms and plan adjacencies to support access and inclusion.Ìý

Specialized support does not have to separate students from their peers. When schools are designed around belonging, students with disabilities can access the spaces, relationships andÌýsupportsÌýthey need toÌýparticipateÌýmore fully in their community and thrive.Ìý

, AIA, LEED AP, andÌý, AIA, are education practice leaders atÌýÌýwho work with school districts to align planning,ÌýprogrammingÌýand design with the needs of students,ÌýstaffÌýand communities.Ìý

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